Cloudy water - some days clear some days not… why?

[ReefDragon420]

Some days we notice the water seems really clear and others we notice it’s really cloudy and the changes happen over the night hours. Why would this be happening ? Today it’s a white cloudy look while the last several days it’s been relatively clear. What would cause this ?

 

[cocoReefer]

Some days we notice the water seems really clear and others we notice it’s really cloudy and the changes happen over the night hours. Why would this be happening ? Today it’s a white cloudy look while the last several days it’s been relatively clear. What would cause this ?

Whats your setup like?
Skimmer? Do pumps shutoff at night? More details Please.
Usually bacteria with the white/cloudy water

 

[cocoReefer]

Whats your setup like?
Skimmer? Do pumps shutoff at night? More details Please.
Usually bacteria with the white/cloudy water

But.... could be a critter spawning.

 

[Frogspon]

Probably bacterial. If you dose something like Stability or Biospora it will out-compete the bacteria and clear up your water.

 

[ReefDragon420]

Whats your setup like?
Skimmer? Do pumps shutoff at night? More details Please.
Usually bacteria with the white/cloudy water

Canister filter no skimmers or such. Pump always on. It’s a damselfish and lettuce sea slug mainly tank with cuc. Do have air bubbles going to help with movement and oxygen. I have been told it may be bacterial due to not having Uv light nor skimmer. We did just add bunch of algae , bryopsis mostly, to help feed our slugs.

 

[PokeFish]

it could be a bacterial bloom, or maybe some of your caulerpa went sexual?

 

[ReefDragon420]

it could be a bacterial bloom, or maybe some of your caulerpa went sexual?

Was my guess, can the plants do this nightly? Will changing the light schedule help, I have main daytime lights on for about 11 hrs with a fade up and fade out plus 3 hrs of blue and about 6 hrs dark
ROUGHLY

 

[PokeFish]

Was my guess, can the plants do this nightly? Will changing the light schedule help, I have main daytime lights on for about 11 hrs with a fade up and fade out plus 3 hrs of blue and about 6 hrs dark
ROUGHLY

If your caulerpa did go sexual a little then more may happen. It’s probably a nutrients issue like there isn’t enough nitrates and phosphates ( I think)

 

[ReefDragon420]

If your caulerpa did go sexual a little then more may happen. It’s probably a nutrients issue like there isn’t enough nitrates and phosphates ( I think)

I can’t test for phosphate but my nitrates etc are low low

 

[blaxsun]

Carbon and a UV will generally clear that up. And a protein skimmer.

 

[ReefDragon420]

If our algae plants are going sexual in the evenings will a UV help ? I’m not much of wanting to go with extra filtration including carbon but I can always put some carbon in my layers within the canister filter

 

[ReefDragon420]

We have the oase biomaster thermo 600

 

[blaxsun]

If our algae plants are going sexual in the evenings will a UV help ? I’m not much of wanting to go with extra filtration including carbon but I can always put some carbon in my layers within the canister filter

Well, with the filtration setup you have you’re somewhat limited in terms of what you can implement. But carbon generally helps to some extent.

 

[ReefDragon420]

Well, with the filtration setup you have you’re somewhat limited in terms of what you can implement. But carbon generally helps to some extent.

Just read in another thread folks having my issue and great success with one of those little green machine Uv sterilizer assuming my issue is bacteria/ algae bloom which is seemingly the issue.

 

[ReefDragon420]

Well, with the filtration setup you have you’re somewhat limited in terms of what you can implement. But carbon generally helps to some extent.

Our tank is mainly lettuce sea slugs we cannot have the traditional setups most have.

 

[blaxsun]

Just read in another thread folks having my issue and great success with one of those little green machine Uv sterilizer assuming my issue is bacteria/ algae bloom which is seemingly the issue.

I was going to say that from the image you posted it looked like you had a lot of algae, but then you mentioned that you added some for your inverts. I’ve always had good success keeping algae under control with my UV (I haven’t used the little green machine, though).

 

[ReefDragon420]

I was going to say that from the image you posted it looked like you had a lot of algae, but then you mentioned that you added some for your inverts. I’ve always had good success keeping algae under control with my UV (I haven’t used the little green machine, though).

Yes we have a lot of macro algae. Bryopsis was just added , have chaeto, dragon tongue, Mexican and prolifia all in the main display (our only) tank. If they go sexual at night will UV help this or carbon or both ?
What happens exactly when a plant / algae goes sexual ??

 

[PokeFish]

you may want to dose nitrates and phosphates. Both will help clean it up, but will not stop them from going sexual. When they go sexual they basically release all the nutrients they have in them and practically dissolve. it can crash tanks

 

[ReefDragon420]

you may want to dose nitrates and phosphates. Both will help clean it up, but will not stop them from going sexual. When they go sexual they basically release all the nutrients they have in them and practically dissolve. it can crash tanks

Dose with as in add in the tank phosphate and nitrate??

 

[ReefDragon420]

Dose with as in add in the tank phosphate and nitrate??

Ive done this once before, was A bio cube 16? I don’t think it was the 32 gal and only for a year or two and this was about 15 years ago…my word it seems like I know NOTHING